


wouldn’t it be nice

by fistitout



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 03:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13226985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fistitout/pseuds/fistitout
Summary: Piper, Annabeth’s current and soon to be ex-roommate, had been splitting the rent and utilities with Annabeth fifty-fifty for years, which Annabeth could barely make as it is. Now Piper was getting married (in two weeks), and she’d be moving across town to live with her fiancé, which meant Annabeth would have to find a new roommate.





	wouldn’t it be nice

_**”Instead of curse words I use hormones the body secretes” ~Annabeth Chase** _

 

It was Saturday, the first Saturday of summer vacation. Stuff like that wouldn’t matter to a twenty-six year old woman who wasn’t in college. It did matter to the same woman who had tricked her seven year old into a game of hide-and-seek that was completely one-sided. That trick would only work for so long, once Sophie stopped hiding in the same place all the time.

For now, Annabeth would hide herself in the bathroom, sitting in the bathtub.

* * *

  **Piper McLean**

I don’t know what to do

I wish you didn’t get married sometimes 

:’( 

Im sorry babes

im sure Jace wouldn’t mind if I didn’t leave 

no you can’t do that 

you guys need to live together to consummate you’re marriage and give me a godchild

I'll figure something out

u sure? 

I feel kinda bad

yeah

I'll probably just find a roommate or something

wyd for lunch later?

Free

you sure you want a random roommate? 

I’m a big girl I can handle myself

plus I’ll just do the same thing I did when I was looking for you

background check, credit check, prison  record. The works

Soph and I wanna have lunch w/ you at Pluto's 

Yum

I finish @ 1 so around 1:30 or 2

1:30  sounds good

alright 

Jason beckons see you then 

bye mind if he comes

Not at all 

make sure he brings his wallet 

luv you boo

kiss Sophie for me

maybe 

bye

* * *

Piper, Annabeth’s current and soon to be ex-roommate, had been splitting the rent and utilities with Annabeth fifty-fifty for years, which Annabeth could barely make as it is. Now Piper was getting married (in two weeks), and she’d be moving across town to live with her fiancé, which meant Annabeth would have to find a new roommate.

She was extremely picky when it came to those things—she was barely comfortable with one of her closest friend’s living with her and her daughter—and now she had to open up for a complete stranger.

Their lease expired in a week. Annabeth had put up an ad for a new roommate at least two weeks ago, and there hadn’t been any replies since she last check (two hours ago).

“Momma!”

"No," Annabeth groaned quietly.

"Are you even seeking?”

“Of course!” Annabeth lied breezily. “You’re really good at this game!”

That was good enough for Sophie, who went quiet after that. Annabeth went back to her laptop, opening her ad up. Things didn’t usually change in two hours, but Annabeth was anxious.

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods!" Annabeth exclaimed.

The shower curtain was pulled back violently, Annabeth’s daughter glaring at her. “You weren’t looking!”

Annabeth looked up at her, her smile unwavering. “Sorry Sophie,” she apologized. “How about we go again. You hide and I seek?”

“No.” Sophie frowned, folding her arms. She leaned over the edge, glancing at Annabeth’s screen. “What’s that?”

“Aunt Piper is getting married, which means we get a new roommate. Someone’s just applied for the position.”

Sophie nodded along, though Annabeth knew she had now idea what she had said. “Can we play a game now? I’m bored.”

“You’ve been on break for one day,” Annabeth stated.

“Can we go to the park? It’s not fun in here.”

“Why don’t you read a book? That’d be fun, huh?”

Sophie frowned, sitting down on the toilet. “Reading’s boring. I wanna have fun.”

Annabeth sighed, closing her laptop and climbing out of the tub. “We’ll go for a little while, but remember we have lunch plans with Auntie Piper soon.”

Sophie shot up, squealing in excitement. Annabeth smiled at her, nudging her out of the cramped bathroom. “Go put on shoes,” she instructed with a laugh.

* * *

There were a few things Annabeth let her daughter have: cookies even though she said they were only for special occasions, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and lunch (sometimes even dinner). On that list was dressing herself, which was a terrible idea that was too deep in to get rid of.

Sophie got very… _creative_ , so to speak…when it came to dressing herself. Her idea of a tame and normal outfit usually consisted of one of her many pairs of rain boots, a wildly themed pair of leggings, and some form of a brightly colored skirt. Sometimes, when Annabeth would be working and Sophie had complete control over her entire outfit, she’d wear a Halloween costume or some part of an old one.

“You can’t go out like that,” Annabeth stated, looking her daughter up and down.

Sophie rocking on her heels, grinning at her mother. “I look good. You can’t go like that.”

"I’m wearing jeans. You’re wearing cowboy boots. With unicorn leggings.” Annabeth stated.

Sophie shrugged. “I like it. Come on, I’m ready to go to the park!”

“Dear gods,” Annabeth muttered.

Sophie led the way out and to the park, a little more than a five minute walk. She skipped the whole way, humming in delight as she reached her destination. She was definitely a ball of energy, breaking out in a run across the grass. Annabeth let out a groan, before chasing after her, thankful for her choice in wearing her workout sneakers—the same ones she wore when she went to work.

She was not having as much fun as Sophie, if the screams and laughs of delight were any cue. Sophie was very fast for someone running in a park in long leggings in summer, circling around play structures and trees and other pedestrians. She crawled under a park bench, giggling at Annabeth as she ran over.

“How about we play a different game that doesn’t involve running?” Annabeth asked between pants.

“You have to catch me first!” Sophie shouted, turning and sprinting.

Annabeth groaned, getting off of the bench. Barely ten yards away, she saw her daughter barrel straight into a man, letting out a little grunt before falling into the grass. Annabeth rolled her eyes; this always happened when she got too excited. She’d run into something—or someone—and ‘get hurt’, even though she was never actually hurt. She’d cry and be dramatic, like children do, and it always became a whole thing.

She jogged over to the scene, where the guy was crouched down next to Sophie. Weird, and definitely not something that made her feel any better. He was whispering something to her too, something Annabeth couldn’t hear. He didn’t look very creepy and predator-like. He looked pretty young, to be honest, maybe around or close to her own age, with a messy mop of dark hair on top of his head. He was wearing a bright orange tee shirt that was a little loose around his moderately built frame. He was really tan, too, and that’s about all Annabeth could see.

Sophie slowly got up with the help of the strange man, doing a slow spin twice. Annabeth got over, deciding on a polite but demanding tone, so as not to come off as a total bitch. “What’s going on?”

Sophie and the strange man both looked up at her. “Is this your Momma?” he asked Sophie, who nodded yes. “Well then it’s very nice to meet you.”

“Uh huh,” Annabeth sad suspiciously. The guy stood up, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. He was really tall, almost a whole foot taller than her, though he didn’t give off an intimidating vibe.

“Oh, I was just making sure she was fine, and such,” he explained. “I deal with a lot of kids in my field, and I figured that if she had gotten hurt it would be my own fault since she did run into me, after all.”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Annabeth said. She held onto her daughter by her shoulders, giving her a soft nudge. “Right?”

Sophie nodded, practically bouncing in spot. “Yep, Sorry. Very sorry, Captain Jackson.”

‘Captain Jackson’ let out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’m not a captain, Sophie.”

‘ _How does he know her name?_ ’ Annabeth wondered. She was pretty sure she knew all the other parents of all of Sophie’s friends, plus he looked too relaxed to be a parent to a first grader.

"Momma, can I go play now?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah, Yes,” Annabeth said. “Don’t die. I’m serious.”

Sophie ran off toward the play structure, screaming in absolute delight.

“So you’re Sophie’s Mother, huh?” the guy asked. “Oh, I’m Percy Jackson. I teach the fire safety seminar at Sophie’s school, happens in October and May.”

Annabeth nodded. That made a lot more sense. “So you’re a firefighter.”

He nodded, rubbing a hand over his stumble. Annabeth thought it added to his appeal—casual and relaxed. “You guys look alike. You and your daughter, I mean. You’ve got the blonde going on, same nose. It’s really cute.”

“Thank you?”

“I’m gonna stop talking before I make this any more weird.”

Annabeth tilted her head. “Oh no, it isn’t weird.”

He smiled slightly. “It’s extremely weird, Mrs. Chase.”

Annabeth pulled a face. “It’s Ms., not Mrs.” she amended.

He nodded knowingly. "Well, Ms. Chase, I apologize now and for any further encounters with me for any awkwardness the will be present, including moments where I say the most cringe things.”

Annabeth found herself full on smiling at him. “Well Captain Jackson,” she stated, mocking his tone. He groaned, but she went on, saying, “I myself may say some really weird things, but I won’t be apologizing. You shouldn’t either. It’s part of your personality.”

“I’m not a captain,” he argued. “She probably thinks I’m a captain because Grover is Captain. We both went to her school, so she probably just assumes I’m also a captain. I’ve only been there like, five years too.”

“Five years?” Annabeth questioned.

He nodded, turning a small angle. “I’m sure you want to be closer to your daughter, Ms. Chase.”

Annabeth nodded, walking along side him toward the play structure. “But yeah, five years,” he continued. “I couldn’t even apply until I was twenty-one, can you believe that? And there was a shit-ton of requirements too. But I do love it.”

“You should,” Annabeth conceded. “If given the opportunity, you should do something you love.”

Percy nodded in agreement. “What do you do?” he asked.

“Uh, I work at a diner. Pluto’s Moonlite Diner.” Annabeth shrugged. “It’s dirty and there are screaming kids and angsty teens. But I do what I gotta do.”

“That place is amazing though. Good food.”

Annabeth shrugged. They came up to the structure, stopping outside of the mulch pits. “The food is amazing but the pay is total calcitonin.”

Percy snorted, giving her a surprised look. “I’m sorry, what?” he asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "Calcitonin. It’s a hormone secreted by the thyroid that has the effect of lowering blood calcium.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Instead of curse words I use hormones the body secretes. Or body parts that sound like curse words.”

“That’s actually really clever,” he said, nodding along. “Though I don’t know how you can spit out the definition from memory. You must’ve done amazing in college.”

“I did not go to college.” Annabeth stated. She shrugged. “I found out I was pregnant when I was eighteen and I didn’t have any money so I got my crap job.”

The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile. She narrowed her eyes at him; that wasn’t a smile worth story. “You look really young and pretty but I didn’t know how to ask.”

"Oh." Annabeth nodded. She put her hands in her pocket, rocking on her heels. “I’m twenty-five, by the way.”

“Twenty-six,” he countered. “Though my birthday is at the end of summer.”

“Mine’s in July.”

It was quite between them, the sounds of children playing filling the air. This man—who she’d just met—had just called her pretty. He was also extremely nice and maybe even a tad bit attractive. But it was so weird. And it’s not like she even had time to date (if he even asked her out). She had work and Sophie and Sophie and work and absolutely no time for a relationship. He hadn’t even asked her out and she was already stressing.

"Ms. Chase,” Percy said, nudging her shoulder. Annabeth turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to continue but was, coincidentally, cut off by the ringer on his phone.

Annabeth honestly didn’t mean to snoop, but she found herself glancing at his phone screen. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach as she saw who was calling—some girl called who’s nickname was ‘Starfish’ and had a really cute and beautiful picture, on the beach with her arms around Percy and their cheeks were smushed and they both looked extremely happy. And she was really pretty too.

“Hello?” Percy answered, immediately met by screaming. “Hey, stop screaming. Stop screaming. What’s the problem?...Okay, I hear you…Yes, yes…Now?...Okay, now. I’m only my way…Love you too, Starfish.”

He let out a groan, dropping his phone in his pocket. "Uh, I gotta go.”

Annabeth nodded, turning her attention back to the play structure. She quickly spotting Sophie, standing on top of the jungle gym and commanding a group of kids around.

Percy was still standing next to her. “Will I see you around?” he asked.

Annabeth shrugged. “I guess we’ll see, Captain Jackson.”

He smiled a dimpled smile before turning and jogging off. Annabeth groaned, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Of course he’d have a girlfriend, especially a young and pretty on too. All the hot ones are always taken.

* * *

 Even after an hour in the park, Sophie was still bursting with energy, doing tow laps around the diner before falling down next to her mother in the booth. Sophie went on, rambling about her day in the park and all the kids she conquered.

After five minutes of listening to her conquests of power, Piper McLean finally showed up. It was more like strut in and commanded the room, like she always did. “Bonjour Mademoiselle Beth et Bébé Sophie,” she greeted, sliding into the booth.

Annabeth grinned. “Hey Piper,” she said, while Sophie squealed “Auntie Piper!”

"My blonde beauties," Piper said. “How’s your day been? Get in any trouble recently?”

Annabeth let out a laugh. “I talked to a guy today,” she started. “He was…” She glanced at Sophie, who was concentrated on her coloring page. “He was very handsome, Piper. Like, beautiful.”

Piper grinned wider, drumming her fingers on the table. "Tell me everything. Name, what you said, what he said. I want all the details.”

Annabeth giggled, her gaze drifting behind Piper to the approaching server: Nico di Angelo, a young adult a few years younger than her who’s father owned the diner. He and one of his two sisters practically ran the place as managers, since they both had seniority and nepotism.

“Before you get the dish on…he hot gossip. Whatever you girls talk about.” Nico shrugged. “What can I get you guys? Sophie, I assume you want—“

“Dino nuggets!”

Annabeth grinned at her daughter; Nico let out a laugh as he scrawled down her order. He took the rest of their orders before heading back to the kitchen. After that Annabeth went in; she told Piper about Percy—what he looked like, how the conversation even started, as much as she could remember about what they even talk about—with even Sophie adding in her two cents every once in a while (“He’s a firefighter”).

Piper, the ever supportive best friend she is, listened intently, her grin only getting wider as she went. “This sounds amazing. Did you get a number? A date?”

Annabeth sighed, glancing at Sophie to check if she was still there. “Well, he doesn’t even know my name,” she stated boredly. “He calls me ‘Ms. Chase’ cause I guess he remembers Sophie and her last name and all that. And he got a call from a really hot girl. Like really hot.”

Piper smirked, sipping her soft drink slowly. “How do you know?”

Annabeth sighed. “I was creeping. You know on iPhones the contact picture shows. Well I peeped. She was so hot, Piper. And young. She was hot and young. She they were together in the picture, looking cute and happy. And he had a cute nickname for her. ‘Starfish’ or something like that.”

Piper pouted, reaching across the table and holding Annabeth’s hand. “It’ll be okay, babe. He’s hot, sure. But there are a bunch of hot guys out there, like Jason.”

Sophie looked up at the mention of one of her favorite uncles, Jason Grace, Piper fiancé and another one of Annabeth’s close friends. “Where’s Uncle Jason?” Sophie questioned.

“He’s busy,” Piper said. She saw Annabeth fallen expression, quickly adding, “but he’s still paying. I’ve got his card so we gon’ make it rain.”

Annabeth laughed, taking the brunette up on her high five.

“But anyway,” Piper said, turning back to me, “don’t get hung up on this firefighter. You’re still hot, anyway. You got this whole beach-babe vibe going for you.”

Annabeth shrugged. “It’s not like anything could even happen. She sounded like a complete parathyroid.”

Piper had an amused look on her face. “Why was she a parathyroid?”

Annabeth sighed in exasperation. She pouted, folding her arms on the table. “That’s what I thought,” Piper sighed.

After that, Nico came around with their meals. Annabeth barely ate much—Piper was right, of course. Annabeth didn’t actually know anything about Percy’s ‘Starfish’. She didn’t even know who she was, she was just upset. Upset because he was clearly flirting with her and getting calls from an extremely hot girl and he loved her.

‘ _That’s why I haven’t dated_ ,’ she told herself glumly. It was either they were taken or they didn’t like the idea of dating someone with a child.

"In other news," Piper said, interrupting Annabeth train of thought. “How’s your ad going?”

“I had a response this morning,” Annabeth stated boredly. “Some chick, I think Sara or Sam or something.”

“That’s good,” Piper said, nodding.

Annabeth shrugged. “I hope so, at least. I don’t want to have to settle on her, though. I want options.”

“For what?”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Nico as he slid in their booth next to Piper. “Shouldn’t you be working?” Piper asked.

Nico shrugged. “I’m on break.” he stated, reaching over and eating some of Piper’s fries. Piper made a face, scooting herself and plate down and away from him.

“Annabeth’s looking for a new roommate,” Piper stated.

“It’s true,” Sophie added. “Cause Auntie Piper is gonna marry Uncle Jace and live with him and give me little babies to play with.”

Annabeth snorted while Piper groaned. “Well,” Nico chimed. “A buddy of mine is looking for a place to stay.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. She’d met some of Nico’s friends—they ranged from heavenly saints with perfect reputations (like Jason) to stoners and drug dealers.

“He’s like your age,” Nico explained. “He’s got a job, but he never really had a lot of money. He used to live at home but they needed his space and he gave it up willingly. He’s been sleeping on my couch for like, four months. He’s cool, but I’m sick of him. I like my space.”

Annabeth nodded. “I don’t want your friend living in my house,” she stated.

Nico shrugged. He turned to Piper, asking, “Can I have some fries?”

“But your own,” she stated.

“You can have some of mine,” Sophie offered, sliding her plate over.

Nico grinned. “Thank you, Sophie. You’re a little sweetheart, huh?”

Sophie shrugged. “Jenna’s mom says that food like French fries and hamburgers are gonna make you so fat that you’ll explode, ‘specially when you eat’m a lot. I don’t wanna explode.”

Annabeth groaned; Jenna’s mom was a health nut who constantly tried to force her diet on every person in the world. She’d even say scenarios in extremities to get kids to understand. But Sophie and Jenna were close friends, which meant Annabeth had to suck it up for Sophie.

"Soph, if you like fries then eat your fries,” Annabeth said. “You won’t explode. People don’t explode when they eat a lot of food.”

“Uh huh,” Sophie argued. “Jenna’s mom says I’ll go ‘pop!’ like a balloon.”

Annabeth didn’t want it to come to this. It happened last year, and the year before. Jenna’s mom (Leila, the bitch) was against anything Annabeth—her way of life, her life choices, her eating choices, her friends, everything.

“Jenna’s mom is wrong,” Annabeth stated. “Sometimes, eating junk is good for you. Otherwise your hair turns ugly and dirty like the Hudson and all the boots and leggings in the world won’t want you to wear them.”

Don’t judge her. The cheap grocery store sold all that healthy food at a price way out of her budget.

Sophie looked genuinely worried and scared. Annabeth faked a look a sympathy. “I’m sure you don’t want that, Soph, right?”

She shook her head vigorously, then reached over the table, dragging her plate back. “Sorry Uncle Neeks, but I don’t wanna loose boots _and_ leggings.”

“No I totally understand,” Nico said, nodding along. He gave Annabeth a look, on that said ‘ _You’re such a dirty liar.’_

Annabeth shrugged sheepishly. “Now,” she turned her focus back to Piper and Nico, “what were we talking about, again?”


End file.
